Modularity functions maximization with nonnegative relaxation facilitates community detection in networks

We show here that the problem of maximizing a family of quantitative functions, encompassing both the modularity (Q-measure) and modularity density (D-measure), for community detection can be uniformly understood as a combinatoric optimization involving the trace of a matrix called modularity Laplacian. Instead of using traditional spectral relaxation, we apply additional nonnegative constraint into this graph clustering problem and design efficient algorithms to optimize the new objective. With the explicit nonnegative constraint, our solutions are very close to the ideal community indicator matrix and can directly assign nodes into communities. The near-orthogonal columns of the solution can be reformulated as the posterior probability of corresponding node belonging to each community. Therefore, the proposed method can be exploited to identify the fuzzy or overlapping communities and thus facilitates the understanding of the intrinsic structure of networks. Experimental results show that our new algorithm consistently, sometimes significantly, outperforms the traditional spectral relaxation approaches

Additional file 1 of Clinical outcomes and treatment patterns of older adults with dementia-related psychosis by dementia type in the United States

Additional file 1

Patterns of use of antimuscarinic drugs to treat overactive bladder in Denmark, Sweden, and the United Kingdom.

PURPOSE:To describe the use of antimuscarinic drugs to treat overactive bladder (OAB) in Denmark, Sweden, and the United Kingdom (UK). METHODS:We identified new users of darifenacin, fesoterodine, oxybutynin, solifenacin, tolterodine, and trospium aged 18 years or older from the Danish National Registers (2004-2012), the Swedish National Registers (2006-2012), and UK Clinical Practice Research Datalink (2004-2012). Users were followed until disenrollment, cancer diagnosis, death, or study end. Treatment episodes, identified by linking consecutive prescriptions, were described with respect to duration, drug switch, and drug add-on. RESULTS:Mean age of OAB drug users was 66 years in Denmark (n = 72,917) and Sweden (n = 130,944), and 62 years in the UK (n = 119,912); 60% of Danish and Swedish patients and 70% of UK patients were female. In Denmark, of 224,680 treatment episodes, 39% were with solifenacin, and 35% with tolterodine; 2% were with oxybutynin. In Sweden, of 240,141 therapy episodes, 37% were with tolterodine and 35% with solifenacin; 5% were with oxybutynin. In the UK, of 245,800 treatment episodes, 28% were with oxybutynin, 27% with solifenacin, and 26% with tolterodine. In the three countries, 49%-52% of treatment episodes comprised one prescription and over 80% of episodes ended because of no refill; less than 20% ended because of a switch to another antimuscarinic. During the study years, we observed a change in OAB treatment preference from tolterodine to solifenacin. CONCLUSIONS:In these cohorts, persistence with antimuscarinic drugs was low. By 2012, the preferred drug was solifenacin; oxybutynin use was marginal in Nordic countries compared with the UK

An update on the pharmcological management of post-herpetic neuralgia and painful diabetic neuropathy

Neuropathic pain is a persistent pain condition that develops secondary to nerve injury. The two most common types of peripheral neuropathic pain are post-herpetic neuralgia (PHN) and painful diabetic neuropathy (PDN). Amitriptyline, nortriptyline, desipramine and imipramine are TCAs that have been shown to be effective for the symptomatic relief of PHN and PDN. Serotonin noradrenaline reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs) such as venlafaxine and duloxetine have been shown to be very promising for the treatment of PDN with fewer adverse effects than TCAs. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) were shown in a number of studies to have some efficacy in relieving PDN-related pain, yet other studies of the SSRIs have demonstrated conflicting outcomes., Most of the older antiepileptic studies were performed in patients with PDN; consequently, little is known about the efficacy of these drugs in patients with PHN. Carbamazepine, phenytoin and valproic acid were shown to be effective in ameliorating PDN-related pain. Other antiepileptic agents, including lamotrigine, oxcarbazepine and topiramate, have demonstrated some beneficial effects for the treatment of PDN, although they were also found to be ineffective in some PDN studies. [alpha]2[delta] Ligands such as gabapentin and pregabalin have been proven to be effective for the treatment of PHN and PDN in a number of large placebo-controlled trials. These drugs are useful not only in relieving pain but also in improving quality of life., Although the use of opioids for the treatment of neuropathic pain is controversial, a number of studies support the efficacy and safety of opioids in the treatment of neuropathic pain. Of these, oxycodone and tramadol have been shown to be superior to placebo for the treatment of PHN and PDN. A number of small studies have shown that dextromethorphan was effective in patients with PDN but not in patients with PHN., Topical agents such as lidocaine 5% patches and topical capsaicin are useful in ameliorating pain in patients with PHN but these agents are unsatisfactory for use as a sole agent., Although a number of drug treatments are available for the symptomatic relief of neuropathic pain symptoms, these agents do not provide satisfactory relief in all patients. For these patients, other treatment alternatives such as combination drug therapy that produces pain relief via distinctly different mechanisms may be successful. The purpose of this review is to compare the efficacy and limitations of currently available pharmacological treatments for the symptomatic relief of PHN and PDN, and to discuss the potential of combination therapy in PHN and PDN., Copyright 2008 Adis Data Information B